The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new pollution control standards for hand-held garden tools, such as chain saws and trimmers, saying the rules eventually will keep 350,000 tons of chemicals out of the air.
Manufacturers have anticipated the standards, which will not be fully in place 2007, and already have made significant improvements in reducing pollution from these tools, the agency said Thursday.
The standards, which apply only to newly purchased equipment, cover small engines of 25 or fewer horsepower generally used in hand-held trimmers, chain saws and other garden tools.
There are 20 million such tools sold annually nationwide and they are the single biggest source of smog-causing hydrocarbon emission from nonroad sources, according to EPA.